Labor Day warning issued with increase in shark sightings off Cape Cod
CAPE COD -- With the Labor Day weekend approaching, many people are making plans to hit the beach one last time before saying goodbye to summer. But with so many shark sightings and encounters, there's a new warning being issued.
It especially applies to people heading to Cape Cod, where new footage recently captured three great whites off the coast.
"We've already seen as many sharks this year as we did last year," said Dr. Greg Skomal, of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
In the past, just one sighting was enough to threaten to close the beaches. On Monday alone, marine biologists tracked nearly two dozen, 23 of them in a 10-mile stretch, along the coast of the cape.
Just a few weeks ago, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy captured the extraordinary scene of a hungry great white breaching to try and catch a breaching seal.
"Seals are riding along the shoreline, which of course draws the sharks in very, very close," Dr. Skomal said.
With the holiday weekend approaching, lifeguards are now calling for higher towers, purple watch flags, and possibly even a spotter plane to keep an eye out for sharks.
So far, there have been no shark attacks this summer on the cape, and the beaches are open for Labor Day.
